The Five
by Raeinspace
Summary: Set in Oxford, how they meet and become "The Five". No set ending point yet.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Sanctuary or its characters etc**

Oxford University, May 1876.

John Druitt, first-year student at Oxford University, watched the auditor as she walked across the courtyard towards the medical students classrooms. He was seated under the large oak tree in the middle of the university's extensive grounds, one arm around an attractive young woman, the other casually holding a textbook from one of his classes. Despite his many female admirers, including the beauty currently dozing at his side, he couldn't help watching the auditor. She was young, striking and, he knew, intelligent. Most of all, she was out of bounds. Helen Magnus was the daughter of Dr. Magnus, a lecturer at the university. He wouldn't cause himself trouble by entertaining a fling with _her, _especially when he had plenty of company already.

"Another Druitt girl fallen victim to the dreary writings of dead men?" James asked, appearing in John's line of sight and looking down at the girl on the grass.

John drew himself out of his thoughts and smiled up at his friend. "One of the greatest English minds." He held up the book so that James could see the title. "It takes a truly great mind to appreciate the Bard."

"Give me modern literature any day." James replied without hesitation, looking around to see what had caught his eye. "Ah. You should know better John. She is not for you."

"Is that a challenge?" John's face lit up.

James quickly shook his head. "No you don't. I won't be blamed for your attentions towards her. Though why you would go after her when you have lovelies like this one at your side I do not know."

Shrugging, John pulled his arm from around the woman at his side, laid her gently against the tree and stood up. "Because, my celibate friend, women love me and I love women."

As they walked to their next class James told himself that it was for the best that he hadn't told John that Helen already had someone after her (an admirer), John would only take it as a challenge. Then if Helen's father found out he would be sure to have John removed from the university. James Watson didn't have many friends and he wanted to keep the one he had.


	2. Chapter 2

In the study of Dr. Magnus, Nikola Tesler was waiting patiently. He had managed to persuade Dr. Magnus to accept him as an assistant in his work, which had worked out well for both of them. The other tutors all found Nikola too arrogant, too sure of his own theories to listen to them, and the students had begun to whisper rumours of Dr. Magnus' crazy ideas. It didn't matter that Dr. Magnus taught human biology and Nikola studied the physics, they had found within each other a refuge for things outside normal conversations, and because their respective subjects didn't overlap (they were not in direct competition with each other) they were able to talk as equals. It didn't matter what personal opinions they held of each other, they enjoyed the company of the others mind. Nikola had a space away from the other students to work in private and Dr. Magnus had finally shown the university that he was taking a greater interest in its students – something that hadn't happened since his wife…. For Nikola there was one additional bonus, something that he hadn't shared with Dr. Magnus when he suggested the arrangement. That was Helen, Dr. Magnus' daughter. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It didn't matter that she was a few years older than him, or that they came from very different backgrounds. They shared a thirst for knowledge and she was one of the few people he had ever wished to discuss his work with.

_When Nikolas had first met her, she had been sitting in on an entry-level course – he couldn't remember what in. He remembered how she had sat in the front row of the class, head up as she listened to the lecture. Every so often her mouth would lift at the corner as if she was amused by something the lecturer had said. Only two seats down and one back from her, Nikola had completely forgotten the lecture and spent the whole two hours just watching her. Afterwards he had tried to speak to her, but she had disappeared in the crowd of the emptying classrooms. Once he finally saw her, a day later, she laughed off his question and tried not to answer it. He pressed her, following her as she walked to her next lecture until she relented and admitted that she had been laughing at the lecturer. _

_"He gives the same first-day speech for all his classes but he always changes the facts around a little to see if any of the students are paying attention. If they are and they go to him after the lecture to point out his errors he makes favourites of them for the rest of the year. They are allowed to help with his research and are assigned the more interesting texts to learn."_

_"How do you know all this?" He had queried her further._

_Helen smiled at him. "Because I've sat in on his first-day lectures several times now and watched the other students throughout the year." _

_"You look no older than I am." Nikola pointed out. _

_"My father teaches here, Dr. Magnus. I've been sitting in on classes for the last few years since…" Helen bit her lip to stop the rest of the sentence coming out, but Nikola didn't notice, he was too eager for the opportunity to show how clever he was._

_"Is there still time to go back and point out the Professors mistakes, do you think?"_

Nikola jumped as the outer door of the office was slammed shut. Helen stormed in, her cheeks flushed with anger; her eyes ready to seek out someone to shout at. Her voice, when she spoke though, was calm and controlled.

"Is my father here Nikola?"

He shook his head. "I've been waiting for him. I need to use his laboratory this afternoon… Is there something I can do to help?"

Helen looked at him as if trying not to say what was on her mind, but whatever it was had really upset her and she couldn't contain it.

"Those, those _men_ are beyond believable, they refuse to take me seriously when I say I want to learn, they laugh at my ideas before they've even heard them. I don't know why I bother attending their classes; they'll never accept that a woman can actually learn anything! Are they afraid that they'll loose the male students if they allow women to attend properly? This isn't the 1600's…" Suddenly she ran out of steam and sat down in one of the large comfy chairs not daring to look at Nikola. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"As one of those Neanderthal men, you mean?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, but Helen laughed and he smiled at her.

"You should ignore what they think. Keep your head down, study what you can and what you want to. Once you have that knowledge they can't take it away from you."

The laboratory door opened behind Nikola. "Well said boy."

Dr. Magnus climbed up the last step and tossed Nikola the key. "I'll want it back by tomorrow morning."

"You were in there all along?" Nikola looked outraged. "I knocked on the door to see if you were inside when I couldn't find the key in the drawer."

"I give you privacy for your time in there, and I was in the middle of something very important, couldn't risk leaving it just to exchange pleasantries. I knew you'd wait if you wanted something bad enough."

Helen cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her.

"Ah, yes, Helen. Why don't we go for a walk, we can talk privately then?"

Smiling Helen nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' to Nikola as her father turned away from them to collect his coat.


	3. Chapter 3

Gregory Magnus waited until they were far enough away from the college before broaching the subject of Helen's outburst.

"I'm sorry father, I know I must try not to do anything that will cause trouble for you here." Helen began, sensing that her father was worried about something. "It's important that you hold this job until you find some way to prove to those idiots at the Royal College in London that you're the most brilliant surgeon in Europe. I don't mean to do anything that would upset you…"

"Helen," Gregory slowed and turned to Helen, taking her hands in his. "My _dearest _daughter. If anyone is to blame it's me. I've encouraged your studies, I've been so proud of the way you haven't given up… you mustn't worry about me, as long as I have my medical degree and those letters after my name I can still find work as a doctor."

"But it's your research that's most important to you and you need the university's funds to help with that."

Gregory shook his head. "Helen, I promise you, there is nothing you can do that will make the university fire me. If they ask me to leave it will be because of something I have said or done. Don't worry."

"I just want to become a doctor so badly."

"And you will. One day. Until then, take Nikola's advice and learn everything you can so that when the time comes you will be ready."

Helen laughed. "Nikola is the last person who should advise me to be patient. He came here far earlier than any other student, certain that he would be able to keep up with them. Within three months he had decided he already knew everything Oxford could teach him and has since been working on his own projects while sharing your laboratory."

Gregory directed Helen towards their favourite little teashop. "The other professors understand that he has studied throughout Europe, not staying long enough to gain any official qualifications. He is too impatient to wait to be given information pieces at a time through lectures. If he has a question, he wants an immediate answer, even if it means interrupting a lecture."

The waiter sat them at their usually window table and left them with the menus. Gregory continued talking as he skimmed through the list of sandwiches and pastries.

"He has one of the most brilliant minds of this century. Unfortunately he knows it and as long as he allows the university the occasional peek at his theories they will let him continue to call himself a student here. You're 26 years old Helen, you have plenty of time for your life to unfold. And you're old enough to understand the way the world works."

Helen set the menu down on the table. "I will try to be patient father, I promise. I appreciate everything you have done for me, including asking your friends to persuade the university to let me sit in on all of the lectures, and moving from London to Oxford with me."

Gregory looked up from the menu, with raised eyebrows. "How could I have done anything else?"

Helen smiled at him. "You couldn't. Thank you."

Gregory disappeared back behind his menu. "I think I will have the cucumber sandwich today."


	4. Chapter 4

Not unusual for Oxford in the spring, it was raining. John had just collected his books from the library and was making his way back to his room. As he walked through the archway separating the student's quarters from the university, the books he was carrying fell from his hands and he collapsed against the wall. Nikola was walking Helen to one of her classes and explaining his latest theory as they walked past him. She turned as soon as she heard the books fall and moved quickly towards him.

"Are you all right?" She asked as she checked to see if he was conscious.

She didn't know his name but she had seen him around the grounds, often with a female companion. There was a small cut on his forehead, which was bleeding heavily, but he was awake. His eyes tried to focus on her as she spoke to Nikola, asking him to fetch help.

"You're going to be fine." She told him. "Help is coming. It looks like you have a small cut, nothing serious. Can you speak?"

John opened his mouth, all his eyes could focus on was her golden hair shining as the light caught it. He could hear the rain hitting the stone walkway outside and he tried his best to say something, lifting his arm to show he could hear her.

"I…."

"Just keep still." She told him, gently taking hold of his arm and moving it back down.

Her fingers brushed against his and he felt a jolt of something shoot up his arm. As she began to speak to him he felt his eyes begin to close. He fought to stay awake, but failed.

When he woke he was lying in his own bed. James was in the room; he could hear him talking to someone.

"Helen." The name was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"No John." James' face was suddenly in front of his. "It's just me with Dr. Caruthers. No women allowed in the rooms, remember?"

"Of course." John managed to smile at the private anecdote. "Tell me, what has the doctor diagnosed?"

A new face came into view, one John vaguely recognised. Dr. Caruthers was an elderly gentleman often called in to the university to examine the students when the medical lecturers were busy with seminars and lectures. He voice was often muffled through his close-cut beard and moustache, his manner was very brisk and he always put the students problems down to two things.

"Lack of sleep, very common in you students. Not enough food either, you are all skin-and-bones. You fainted, Mr Druitt, nothing more. I would suggest that you sleep now and get a good meal in you first thing in the morning."

"Thank you doctor." James told him, grinning at John out of Dr. Caruthers view. "I'll ensure he isn't disturbed for the rest of the day. Would you like me to take you back?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I've visited patients all over this campus, I couldn't get lost if I tried."

John waited for James to close the door behind the doctor before trying to sit up. He was glad that he felt well enough to move; unlike the last time it had happened. In that instance he had been forced to remain in bed for the rest of the day.

"Well that has made me feel a lot better."

"What has?"

"Having that bumbling old quack examine me. Where did I put my cricket uniform, I shouldn't be too late to the practice if I leave now."

"You can't go, John."

"Why not, I'm perfectly fine. Dr. Caruthers would diagnose a cold as lack of sleep and I cannot afford to miss practice if I want to remain on the team."

James crossed his arms and frowned at his friend. "If you know why you were ill, as your friend, you should tell me."

John began hunting through the piles of clothes for his cricket uniform, ignoring James. There were some things he was unable to share with him, private, personal things. He was worried that if James knew the truth… well, he just wouldn't tell him. Eventually James would let it go, as he did with most of things he disapproved of John doing. Indeed, within a few minutes James was offering to help him search.


	5. Chapter 5

Oxford University, February 1877.

There was to be a Valentines Day ball held at the university. Nikola was building up the courage to ask Helen to attend with him. So far he had managed to begin a conversation with her twice, each time backing out before mentioning the ball. Time was running out, he had three days before the ball and every day he expected her to mention that someone else had asked her to go. He was spending more and more time away from Dr. Magnus' laboratory as he waited for Helen in the main library. She spent a lot of her time there because as she wasn't officially a student she couldn't borrow any of the books and so had to read any books she wanted at one of the study desks. Hovering around the bookshelves near to where she sat, Nikola absent-mindedly picked up a book on the shelf closest to him.

"Excuse me." A whispered voice came from behind him.

Nikola turned around and looked down at the shorter student. His eyebrows rose as he took in the boys appearance. He looked like a new student, very young. Most striking was his hair, a shock of white-blonde which was repeated in his pale eyebrows.

"What?" He asked, feeling annoyed at the interruption.

"If you wouldn't mind, I need to look at those books behind you."

Nikola looked down at the book in his hands. _'-'._ He'd wandered into the medical section of the library. He handed the book to the other student and walked away without looking back. It was another chance gone to talk to Helen.

"I suppose you are going to the Valentines Day Ball, Nikola?" Dr. Magnus queried as they exchanged the key to the laboratory.

Nikola chanced a glance over at Helen who had her back to them, reading one of her father's textbooks, and looked back.

"I don't think I have time for that sort of thing." He said, holding the key tightly in his hand. "And I don't know very many of your English dances."

"What about you Helen?" Her father asked.

Helen shrugged without looking up from her book. "No."

"How about that new student, the one who wants to be my research assistant? Griffin something. I'm sure he would be happy to escort you there and back." Dr. Magnus suggested.

Helen turned around in the chair and gaped at her father. "You cannot be serious."

"I can ask him for you."

"That's not what I mean. What if he already has someone he wants to take. I would rather go with someone who wants to take me, thank you."

Nikola felt his heartbeat slow. His mind quickly focused him on looking at Helen and not her father.

"Would you go with me?" He asked.

His throat felt like sandpaper and he wasn't sure that he had managed to say anything until he saw her blink and then nod.

"I'll pick you up at seven then." He told her and sped into the laboratory, pleased that Dr. Magnus had left it unlocked for him.


End file.
